Record card container



Oct. 13, 1931. F. M. CARROLL ET AL 1,326,991

RECORD CARD conmnmn Filed Nov. 10. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l wuamtoz Oct.-13, 1931;

RECORD CARD CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1928 WV m VV 1 b NWW w\\\ Ah .bW mm mm NW W W WW @m mm man 7 O 1 iv A; @h u mm m mm mm QWmm .TN KW @W Oct. 13, 1931. F. M. CARROLL ET'AL 1,326,991

RECORD CARD CONTAINER Filed Nov. 10, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct.13, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED H. CARROLL, 0F YONKERS, NEWYORK, AND JAMES SHIRLEY EATON, 0F RIDGE FIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TOTHE TABULATING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ENDICQTT, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY nnconn CARD con'ram'nn Application filed November 10, 1928.Serial No. 818,381.

This invention relates to record car containers and more particularly tothat type having separate compartments for accommodating difi'erentkinds of record cards.

The record cards referred to are preferably of the type employed fortabulating purposes, and, as is well known, are provided with delimitedareas constituting index points which are perforated by a punch operatorin a certain' relation to designate tabular data. In certain specialuses of the record cards it is necessary to obtain the information whichis to be translated by the punch operator to data representingperforations at a oint distant from the punching machine. y way ofillustration of one phrase of the present invention, one of the varieduses finds particular application in railroad work. In this case it isnecessary for the checker to be at the many points of location of theseveral railroad cars for the purpose of obtaining-the desiredinformation. Hence, provision should be made for suitably carrying asupply of such record cards together with additional provision forstoring the cards uponwhich notations have been made. In some cases itmay be desirable to-provide means whereby the notations may also beeffected upon a paper strip for record purposes. It is then a broadobject of the present invention to devise a portable carrying casehaving provisions for holding in a compartment a supply of record cardsand a suitable compartment for receiving the used cards. It is a furtherobject to provide an aperture in the case through which autographicnotations may be conveniently entered upon the record cards as well asupon a record strip by the provision of a suitable duplicatin medium.

' t is a still further object of the invention to provide a manually oerated means for proecting cards singly rom the machine and exterior ofthe casing for subsequent disposltion in the card recelving compartment.

The above and other v objects are attained v by arranging the frameworkof the machine to provide one compartment for receiving a supply ofrecord cards andanother which serves as a storage magazine. The casingof the machine has a suitable slot through which partinent. The machineis preferably light in weight to enhance its portable feature and themachine parts, are completely closed by a casing which forms aprotection against the elements. To carry out the protective featuremore fully the autographic slot is preferably covered by a sheet of thincelluloid or other diaphanous material having properties capable ofcarrying impressions directly to the duplicating medium. A strap passingabout the machine and shoulder of the operator permits the checker tocarry the machine around.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction, rrangement of parts and combination of el mentshereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the claims:

In the drawings: I v

Fig.1 is a top plan view of a recordcard box constructed according tothe present invention, a portion of the casing bein broken away to showmore clearly some of the interior mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional 33 of Fig. 1; 7

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the record striprewinding mechanism and is taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a partial central sectional view of the machine illustratinghow record cards are inserted in the magazine;

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation 'of the front of view taken on the linethe machine the casing having been removed;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the assembled record card box.

The framework oft-he machine comprises a bottom plate 20 (Fig. 7) havingintegral u turned extensions 21 and 22. It will be 0 served that theextensions 21. and 22 are spaced apart so that by means of a pair ofparallel vertical plates 23 (Fig. 3) fastened to the bottom plate 20, ahorizontal top plate 24, a horizontal central plate 25, and a Verticalback plate 26, all of which are secured together, card receivingmagazines or compartments 27 and 28 are provided. The interior mechanismis completely enclosed by means of a casing 29 (Fig. 3) which is ofboxlike formation but has an open side to fit over the machine properand is suitably apertured to provide for the accommodation of certainexternally operable parts and other devices to be described more indetail hereinafter.

When the casing 29 is removed from the machine a stack of record cardsdesignated by numeral 30 (Fig. 6) may be inserted in the upper magazine28. To this end a finger of the operator is inserted through an aperture31 (see also Fig. 1) in the upper plate 24 to depress one end of afollower plate 32 normally urged upwardly by coil springs 33. Insertionof a stack of cards may then be performed and when properly inserted andthe follower released the upper car-d thereof will be in registrationwith a card throat 34 formed by a pair of spaced plates 35 and 36' (seealso Fig. 7) rigidly fastened to the side wall extensions 21 and 22.Accidental lateral displacement of follower 32 is efiectively preventedby a plate 37 (Fig. 6) anchored at 38 to the central plate 25 andapertured at its other end to receive a pin 39 (Fig. 7 secured tofollower plate 32.

Fivoted by a hinge 40 (Fig. 2) is a plate 41 which is adapted to closethe open ends of the magazines 27 and 28 when said plate is in avertical position, which position it occupies when the enclosing casingis fitted over the machine. The upper edge of theplate is not highenough (see Fig. 2) to'obstruct the passage of a record card fed throughthe card throat 34. When the casing isin position over the machine,cards projected through the throat 34 pass through a slot 43 (Fig. 8) inthe casing 29 suficiently to be grasped by the fingers of the. operator.

The preferred means whereby record cards may be manually projectedcomprises a pair of upwardly extending arms 44 (Fig. 4) joined at theirlower ends by a tube 45 pivoted to a bracket 46 formed by integralupstanding extensions of the back plate 26.

'Pivoted by pins 47 to each side arm 44 is a picker plate 48 whichpasses beneath the top plate 24 (see Fig. 6) and the upper edge of theback plate 26. The picker plate has a shoulder 49 which is adapted toengage the uppermost card of the stack 30 to project that card throughthe throat 34 and the slot 43 in the casing. The feeding movementprojects the card sufficiently so that it may be grasped by the fingersof the operator and completely withdrawn whereupon the spring urgedftllower 32 will cause another card to be placed in feeding position.The plate 48 has an integral thumb piece 50 (Fig. 2) which is inregistration with an aperture 51 in the. casing 29. By encircling afinger piece 52 attached to the casing with the middle finger operationof plate 50 by the thumb against the action of a return spring 53 willbe facilitated.

A full stroke of plate 48 in a feeding direction is insured by a pawl 54(Figs. 4 and 6) ratcheting over the teeth of a ratchet plate 55. Pawl 54is pivotally carried by a bracket 56 attached to the thumb piece 50, theengagement of the pawl with the ratchet tooth being permitted by virtueof the lowermost position of a controlling plate 57. Plate 57 has a pairof inclined cam slots 58 in engagement with pins 59 secured to the plate55 which is attached to the back plate 26. When the feeding operation iscompleted a lug 61 integral with the bracket 56 will engage an extension62 of plate 57 thereby raising the latter to disengage pawl 54 fromengagement with the ratchet teeth. The plate 57 is held frictionally inits. uppermost position to permit free return movement of the plate 48,at the completion of which the lug 61 engages another extension 63 topositively lower plate 57 to its normal position, at which time pawl 54again engages the ratchet teeth of plate 55.

lVhen a card has been withdrawn manually it may be inserted in thereceiving magazine 27 by its introduction in slots 64, 65 (Fig. 2)formed in the casing 29 and the pivoted front plate 41, respectively.

The cards illustrated are'preferably tabulating cards in which data isrepresented by perforations. In order to inform the punch operator thedata to be represented by perforations on the card legible notations aremade upon one side of the card. To this end the casing 29 and top plate24 are provided with similar apertures 66 and 67 (Figs. 1, 3, and 8)respectively through which autographic notations may be directly enteredupon a record card.

It is preferable, however, to make one or more copies of the notationsfor record purposes and the machine is, therefore, provided with a pairof record strips 70 and 71 (Figs. 1 and 3) which strips have theirunderside coated with carbon or similar material for edecting anoriginal and carbon copy of the notations entered. The lower strip 71 isdrawn from its supply roll 72, passes between the plate 24 and casing 29to a storage roll 73.

The uppermost stri' 70 is drawn from a supplf roll 74 and li ewisepasses between plate 24 and casing 29 but over strip 71 to ,its. storageroll 75. Accidental unwinding of supply rolls 72 and 74. is effectivelyprevented by a pair of flat springs 76 engaging the periphery of theirrelated supply rolls-of pape After the desired notation has been enteredthe strips are fed manually to present a fresh or unused portiont'oapertures.

of shafts 83 which carry the supply rollers 7 2,.and'74 (Fig. 1) arejournalled in the back plate 26 and a bracket 84 (Fig. 1) secured to oneof the side plates 23. The pair of the back plate 26 and a bracket 86(Fig. 1) attached to the other side plate 23.

In use it is intended that the machine be of such construction that itis portable since the operator may be required .to obtain the desiredinformation at various stations or positions. To this end a strap 87(Fig. 8) is held to the casingby brackets 88 and is strapped around theshoulder of the operator for the purpose of carrying the machine around.Since the machlne may be in use during inclement weather,proteetion'against rain or snow may be provided by the provision of adiaphanous material, such as thin celluloid, over the writing aperture66. Im-

plression on the celluloid are carried 'to the rst record strip,producing like carbon impressions upon the second record strip and therecord cardbeneath the latter.

While there has been shown and described .and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single.modification it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spiritof the invention. It is the intentionto be limited therefore only as indicated by the scope of the followingclaims: 1. In a machine of the class described com prising incombination with a casing having a compartment and an aperture'normallyopened and in registration with a record card in saidcompartment forautographic notations, a manually operable means comprising a cardpicker plate for projecting the autograph. To thisend each of the supplyrollers 73and has secured thereto gear the autographed card from saidcompartment by the initial operation thereof and means comprising a fullstroke device for cards singly from said compartment and manuallyoperated means for operating said rewinding device to feed said recordstrip being i transversely with respect tothe feeding di- R rection ofsaid cards.

0 3. In a record carrylngcase havlng a rec- 0rd card supply compartmentand an aperture, a card picker mechanism, means whereby the card pickermechanism is positioned exterior of the compartment but within the case,and a picker plate of the picker mechanism normally contacting with theedge of a record to eject the same by an initial movement thereof, saidpicker mechanism being manually operable through the aperture of shaftsand are slmilarly supported by the case.

4. Ina record card carrying case hav ng a base, a record card supplycompartment said picker mechanism being mounted on the base plate-of thecarrying case and manually operable through its aperture.

5. In a record card cover whereby the records may be inserted carryingcase having a record card supply compartment, a hinged.

in .said compartment,a picker member pro- 'jecting intothe compartmentfor/ejecting a record by an initial movement'thereof and means carriedby the hinged cover for form'- ing a card throat to restrict the numberof cards ejected; In testimony signatures.

' FRED M. CARROLL.

JAMES SI'iIRLEY EATON.

whereof we hereto aflix our

